The Monthly discusses the Translating Age project with Tess Maginess from Queen’s University – Part 2 – A transformative arts-based project

How did the project progress?

There is something to say about adult learners in that sometimes they start with the idea that they haven’t always had good experiences at school, or with education, and so there can be a reticence at the beginning, especially because they might think they aren’t any good at art. Too many people feel that these kinds of projects will be very academic, more of a punishment than something enjoyable. We start from the point of view that the arts has a transformational element and that everyone can be involved in art making.

I think, and I don’t want to make too many grandiose claims for the project, that the participants started to see that art could be something that could be useful in a number of ways. That they could use art to reflect on aspects of their lives. There was also a sense of transformation in that the arts rather than being overly didactic, could be used to communicate, to tell their story, and, indeed, to resonate with people here.

And they could do that with all the richness, all the complexity and all the humour that is contained in their own experience. They were able to use the arts to reveal parts of themselves which maybe had been hidden up until now.

Did you bring people in to help prosecute the project?

I worked, as I have before, with Dr. Federica Ferrieri, who works now as a Civic Engagement Officer in the University. who brings great flair and rigour to any project. Federica designed our website and helped also with the coordination. Also involved was a wonderful, very talented, film-maker, Karen Kinghan. Her husband was the film-maker on a project we had in South Armagh quite a few years ago. Karen taught people how to make films on their mobile phones. She also filmed throughout to document the processes of the project. We also worked with Louise McIvor, a very diligent and respectful creative writing tutor.

What about the participants?

Quite a few of the women had special talents, and we made sure that the definition of the arts was quite wide. One woman was a wonderful cook and her project was showing how to make Indian potato bread. Some could crochet. Some wrote poetry.

There was one woman who wrote a wonderful story about her life moving from middle class Beijing to Inner Mongolia – essentially exiled there to be ‘re-educated’, during the Cultural Revolution. It was a wonderful piece of writing.

What other processes were involved?

Karen and myself also went out to people’s houses, there was a process of decentralisation, and films and pictures were taken where people lived, and that added to how people told their stories. Some people lived close to the seaside and so the sea became a metaphor for some of the stories.

There were also people who weren’t particularly mobile, or in the best of health, so we went out to their houses to include their stories for the project.

It sounds like there were many unexpected elements which emerged through the project?

Yes, and that is as it should be. One day, one of the other women suddenly happened to let drop that she had always been into dance and she developed a dance piece for her contribution. That was filmed in the Great Hall in Queen’s, which is a wonderful 19th century space. She was all dressed up in her ballroom dancing dress and it looked great.

The story she was telling about her experiences as a child and how her ambitions were frustrated because she was a girl, and Karen did a great job of making a short film to tell that story.

There were a number of women whose husbands had been involved in the security services in a number of countries and we had to be very careful how we told those stories. We had to make sure that everyone was anonymous. Karen was very careful during filming not to include people’s faces.

But the key thing was that we were constantly unearthing great stories from the participants in the project. And, I think, also, how these stories offer such a challenge to stereotypes of women,  older people and migrants.